Folding box with handle.



J. H. COWLISHAW. FOLDING BOX WITH HANDLE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, 1911.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

2 sHEETs sHnET 2.

JOHN H. COWLISHAW, OF BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

FOLDING-BOX WITH HANDLE.

' Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Application filed September 18, 1911. Serial No. 649,913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN H. COWLISHAW, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State-of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Boxes with Handles, of which the followin is a specification.

y invention relates to improvements in folding boxes with handles, and the objects of my improvement are simplicity and economy in construction and convenience and efficiency in use, andy to provide a box that in special cases is sanitary and suitable for delivering ice cream cones and perishable goods for domestic use.

In the accompanying drawings :-Figure 1 is a side elevation of my folding box with a handle. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the same on a reduced scale, showing one end knocked down. Fig. 5 shows the unfolded-blank. Fig. 6 shows the blank of a modification, the middle part being broken out. Fig. 7 is a view of the same corresponding to Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 5 and on a reduced scale, of a box suitable for use as a clothing or pants box. Fig. 9 is a similar view of a modification.

My box with handle consists of a single piece of sheet material A that is folded to form the box proper B and to provide a handle C, and the bottom 10 may be provided with a plurality of holes 11 suitable for receiving ice cream cones D so that the body portions 42 thereof may be housed in the said box proper Bv so as to be free from contact with any of the walls thereof.

The piece of sheet material A comprises a body portion E of elongated rectangular formation and a pair of lateral portions F extending laterally from the, middle portlon thereof, andas. shown, the said piece is a strictly symmtrical structure along both the longitudinal and the lateral axes, 1n ex-- terior outline. v

The body portion E comprises at each end a handle member 12 along the middle portion, a locking lug 14 at each lateral end of the handle member 12 and separated from th innerbody. portion by a space 15 and' ad acent the said locking lug 14 and extending from the said space. 15 to the lateral edge, one .oneach side, a holding lugj 16. The said handle member 12 and holding lugs 16 are connected with a cover member 17 along a folding line 18 which isin line with the bottom wall of the said spaces 15. Intermediate the said cover member 17 and the bottom 10 there is the sidelwall19 which is connected to the cover member 17, along the foldin line 20 and with the bottom 10 along the olding line 21. The lateral portions F comprise each an end wall 22 connected to the main body portion E along folding lines 23, a pair of reinforcing wings or flaps 24 at the longitudinal ends of the end walls 22 and/connected therewith along folding lines 255 and along the lateral end of the end walls 22 and connected therewith along the folding line 26 there is a holding flap 27. The said holding flap 27 is provided along the lateral axis with a slot 28 extending laterallyfrom theinner edge thereof onv the folding line 26 and which in length and width is a fit for a pair of the holding lugs 16. The portion 29 of the flap 57 between the slot 28 and the free edge of the flap fits in the space 15 between the looking lug 14 and the cover member 17 and constitutes a loop for supporting the end flaps 27 in the closed and folded condition. The said locking lugs 14"are each connected to-the handle member 12 along a longitudinally extending hinge portion 30 which is in line with the inner edge of the space 15. The material of which the said;

lugs 14 and handle member 12 are composed is-such as to permit of laterally bending of the said lugs 14 to admit the loop 29 to the space 15 and to spring the lugs back tonormal position in alinement with the handle members 12 after release of the same,

wherefor the said hinge portion 30 operates essentially as a spring hinge tending to pocones as mentioned or for other goods that it is desired to definitely position in the solid bottom provided. I

In folding together,

box or the saidholes may be omitted and. a

sition the lugs 14. .The handle members12 .may be provided with holes 13 for conhe piece A close I my box the handle members 12 are brought* together and indoing so the. opposed holding lugs 16 are brought into aoutment in the vertical position,;the handle portions.

and lugs bending relatively tothe cover member 17 along the line 18, and the body portion E bent along the lines 20 and 21 to bring the side walls 19 to the vertical position and the cover members 17 to the horizontal position. Then the lateral members F are folded in first bending the reinforcing lugs 24 upward along the lines 25 and then the lateral members F upward along the lines 23, the reinforcing lugs 24 entering the box proper B along the side walls 19, and finally the holding flap 27 is brought to the final position, the loop 29 passing over the holding lugs 16 and being admitted to the space 15 by momentarily bending the looking lugs 14 to one side. When the locking lugs 14 spring back to the normal position they stand over the loop 29 and positively lock the same against accidental removal from the loop receiving space 15.

As shown the locking lugs 14 are divided from the holding lugs 16 by a singlecurved line 31, wherefore the holding lugs 16, locking lugs 14, and handle member 12 combine to form what appears to be a single handle element of special, ornamental design, extending from end to end across the top of the box proper. As described, the slots 28 engaged with the holding lugs 16 serve to supportthe end walls by means of the holding flap 27, and the side walls by means of the cover members 17. When lifted by the handle, the side walls are lifted and supported thereby essentially directly and the end walls are suspended by the loop 29, and collapsing of the side walls is prevented by the reinforcing flaps 24 engaged therewith. The slots 28 may be provided with a metallic reinforcement 32 as shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

The handle reinforcing flap 31 is integral with the outer wall 33 of the handle opening 13 of one of the handle members 12, shown as the upper one in Fig. 6, the line of connection 34 constituting a folding line on which the said flap 31 may be folded when the two handle members 12 are brought together and brought against the outer face of the mating handle member 12, wherefor the said flap 31 when so bent serves as a suitable and convenient gripping surface or handle cushion and also as a reinforcement when grasped by the hand in the ordinary manner of lifting the box.

My box may be made of card board and in some cases a cheap material may be used as for instance in case the same may be intended for perhaps a single occasion, and to be cast away after use, or the same may be made of a firm and more expensive material, as for instance press-board, and possibly the box may be intended for repeated use, such as for a lunch box.

I find that for some boxes of special shape, such as for a clothing or pants box, that a form of blank that is more economical in material than that shown in Fig. 5 is desirable and I show such a blank or box in knock-down condition in the box A shown in Fig. 9. In this form of box the handle members 12, locking lugs 14, and loop space 15 and the holding lugs 16 are similar in function and characteristics to those found in Fig. 5, the holding lugs 16 however be ing located inward from the lateral edge. Also the cover members 17 correspond. The side walls 19 and bottom 10 involve differences in that the lateral flaps F are integral with one of the said side walls 19*, being connected therewith as shown, along the folding lines 23. The said lateral member F may be attached to either of the side walls 19. As shown in Fig. 9 both are attached to the upper side wall 19, along the lateral edge 23 thereof. Each of the said lateral members F comprises an end wall 22 hinged to the side wall 19 along the folding line 23 and has flaps integral with thelateral and top and bottom edges. These flaps comprise a bottom reinforcing flap 34 along the bottom folding line 35, for closing and reinforcing the bottom corner; a lateral flap 24 along the folding line 25 at the lateral edge of the end wall 22 and suitable for entering along the mating side wall 19*; and along the folding line 26 at the top edge of the side wal 22 there is the holding fiap 27 The said holding flap 27 comprises the elongated slot 28 that is a fit for a pair of mating holding lugs 16 .and suitably located to register therewith, being remote from the inner edge 26 corresponding to the distance of the lugs 16 from the lateral edge of the cover member 17, and the loop 29 in alinement with the slot 28 is a fit for the space 15 and receivable therein by momentarily bending the locking lugs 14 to one side.

In both styles of box when at rest the box is held in the closed position by the holding lugs 16 engaged with the walls of the slot 28 in the holding flap and when lifted by the handles, the two handle parts 12 cooperate with these holding means to positively hold the side walls closed and through the same, to positively and directly support the bottom from both sides, and also, in both cases, the locking lugs 14 overhang the loop 29 and serve to lock the same in the space 15 and thereby lock the holding means for the end walls in the closed position.

I claim as my invention 1. A folding box comprising in one piece a bottom, side walls, end walls having loops, a two part cover, and means for holding the box in the folded condition comprising a pair of two part holding lugs on the cover parts engaged with the said loops on the end walls, locking means comprising locking lugs'integral with the said cover parts, overhanging the said loops and serving to hold the same engaged with the said holding lugs with the box in the folded condition.

2. A folding box made of one piece of sheet material comprising in the unfolded condition an elongated body havin at each end a handle member,'a pair of 100 'ng lugs extending laterally from the handle member, and a pair of holding lugs adjacent the locking lugs, a bottom midway between the 10 said ends and intermediate the said end and bottom a cover member and a side wall, and extending laterally from the said bottom on each side a lateral member comprising an end wall and a holding flap provided with aslot that is a fit for a pair of the said hold- 15 ing lugs.

JOHN H. COWLISHAW,

Witnesses;

SHEFFIELD H. CLARKE, ROGER W. EDWARDS. 

